Fear of the venomous Russell's viper has spread across the nine upazilas of Noakhali. The fear is greatest because of reports of snakes being beaten to death at two places in Companiganj upazila, and in the island upazila of Hatiya, which has seen unusually high tides.
The civil surgeon's office said adequate antivenom has been stocked on an emergency basis at the district's 250-bed General Hospital and eight upazila health complexes. Of this, 50 vials (one vial of 10 injections) are stocked in Hatiya.
Civil Surgeon Dr Masum Iftekhar confirmed this to Jago News on Sunday (23 June) night.
He said that because Noakhali is surrounded by rivers, venomous snakes are present in all its upazilas. With fear over the snake called Russell's viper, adequate antivenom has been stocked at every upazila hospital and the General Hospital.
Snakes killed and past deaths
Shajahan Saju, a businessman from Adarshapara in ward 9 of Basurhat municipality in Companiganj upazila, told Jago News that on Friday night worshippers beat to death a snake beside the mosque in Ukilpara, Charkankra, the area next to theirs. It looked exactly like a Russell's viper, and fear has gripped the area since.
Earlier, on 25 April, a rare yellow-bellied sea snake was seen in the island upazila of Hatiya. Locals saw it on Kamlar Dighi beach at Kazir Bazar in Char Ishwar union, and a young man named Tasnim Mahmud Tanim photographed it. When several photos of the snake spread on social media that night, fear spread among locals.
On 6 September last year, it was alleged that a young man, Nupur Karmakar, 32, died after a venomous snakebite in Chatkhil upazila because no antivenom was available. Nupur was the son of Kuntal Karmakar of the Karmakar household in Harikrishnapur village, Badalkot union. On 15 November of the same year, Nusrat Jahan Nuba, 3, daughter of expatriate Nurul Islam Riad of Anantapur village in ward 7 of Ekhlaspur union, Begumganj upazila, died of a snakebite.
Civil Surgeon Dr Masum Iftekhar said there is no need to panic over snakes; what is needed is awareness. After a snakebite, people should see a doctor quickly and not waste time waiting for an ojha or faith healing. No ointment or massage should be applied to the bite.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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